Perch biting while ice fishing East Bay
courtesy photo
Perch from East Bay
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Fishermen,
We’ve been given the gift of early ice and as East Bay is one of the first bodies of water to freeze up, that’s where I’ve concentrated my efforts. Also where the fish are, if a fella should fall through, it wouldn’t be catastrophic; just unpleasant, with which I have some personal experience.
Because this freeze has been snow free, the ice becomes a window. The shallows are often weed choked to the point it would be nearly impossible to fish. This leaves two approaches: find a place as close as possible to the heavy vegetation that is weed free or use a long pole to break the weeds free and push them to the side.
The disturbance you create will also act as an attractant both visually and by the smells it frees.
All of the bay is frozen and should be safe to walk on in a few more days.
I’ve been fishing depths of up to 5 feet. The numbers of perch over 300 yards of intermittent hole drilling has been impressive. It’s been years since I’ve been aware of so many fish in the bay. They come through in huge schools that could be caught by the hundreds if you wanted to run up a big tally. If you are interested in larger fillet-sized fish, as in the photograph, you’ll spend a lot of time pulling your bait away from smaller fish to give the larger fish a chance. If you’re in a position to give some young people a beginning ice fishing experience a trip to East Bay should be entertaining for all involved. If the fish don’t freeze, my kids discovered they could revive them in the bathtub and enjoy them all over again.
Though there aren’t many lures a perch won’t bite, I’ve had great luck with our Double Trouble Trilobite in both 1/8 and 1/4 sizes. The two willow leaf blades along with two baited hooks are irresistible, especially in the early days of ice-on, when the fish are the most aggressive. Tipping the hooks with maggots and/or fish eyes are my preference.
Keep in mind with the ice clear and the water shallow the perch are sensitive to both sound and movement and will spook easily.
For more information, give a call at (406) 675-0068. My personal cell is (406) 250-0241. Email: macman@ronan.net
Check out our product line: www.zimmertackle.com
